The Films of Aleksandr Rou

Reviews / Votes

'[The Films of Aleksandr Rou] does not just give us a detailed critical biography; it also implicitly argues for Rou's significance as a director based on his ability to create aesthetically beautiful self-contained magical worlds and to innovate using trick shots and special effects. Moreover, in Western contexts, Soviet cinema has long been dominated by high-brow figures such as Sergei Eisenstein and Andrei Tarkovsky, leaving little room for directors whose work engaged with popular audiences. Such films are often dismissed as propaganda, whereas here Allison shows how Rou - like the arthouse directors mentioned above - was able to navigate the complexities of Soviet politics, ultimately creating a body of work that satisfied the state without feeling didactic to audiences.



The Films of Aleksandr Rou: Father of Soviet Fairy Tale Cinema makes a convincing case that the director should be regarded as a major figure in film history, and the book is also notable for combining scholarly rigour with Allison's evident passion and personal admiration for Rou's artistry.' -- John A. Riley, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television '[Allison] arranges her coverage of Rou's work by political period and carefully shows how each group of films responded to the demands of the time. Thus, this book will be useful not only to those who wish to know more about this little known, but very important, filmmaker and his contribution to Soviet cinema, but also to those interested in politics and how they impacted the Soviet artistic world.' -- Natalie Kononenko, Studies in Russian and Soviet Cinema 'The Films of Aleksandr Rou arrives on the current and welcome surge in monographs on Soviet-era filmmakers who had never received dedicated attention in English... The book is primarily comprised of descriptions and interpretations of Rou's films. Making close narrative and stylistic analysis exciting is a feat, which Allison accomplishes by addressing the most thrilling and novel aspects of the films. The Films of Aleksandr Rou is clearly a work of love, and Allison's unabashed appreciation and passion for Rou's films, which may at times seem campy and old-fashioned, is contagious. If the goal of the book was to entice the English-language readership not only to learn about Rou but to see his films, Allison accomplishes this goal most commendably.' -- Maria Belodubrovskaya, Slavic Review